


Arthur and the Plague

by RogueWhisper



Series: Valiant: Arthur [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 06:10:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9643859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueWhisper/pseuds/RogueWhisper
Summary: This is a retelling of Season 1 Episode 3.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't like how parts of this chapter have came out. I had a bit of trouble writing it.  
> I'm still trying to figure out my style, so please forgive me.  
> The story is unbetaed and I've never tried something like this before, so all mistakes are mine.
> 
> The events below take place During The Mark of Nimueh:

I was having breakfast when one of the lesser lords began to turn blue. It happened in an instant. He turned pale and started to shake. I jumped up to help him, fearing that it might be a strange type of poison. Before I had gotten around the table he was dead. "Get Gaius." My father ordered. As I trotted dutifully out of the hall, I realized that I hadn't seen Merlin yet.

When I reached Gaius's chambers I heard voices inside, as a warrior I knew I shouldn't eavesdrop but I was entitled to hear their conversation as the prince. "I've never seen anything like this before." I heard Gaius rumble gently. "Do you think it could be some kind of plague?" I thought that Merlin had struck upon a logical idea. "No, I fear something like this could never come from nature. But who has this kind of power?" Gauis mused.

I looked around, making sure that no one else was in the hallway and leaned closer to the door. "You think it's caused by magic?" A servant girl started down the hall so I yelled, "Merlin." No need for anyone else to hear such talk. He looked tense and fidgety as he opened the door, staring into my seemingly bored face. "uh. I'm on my way. Sorry I'm late." I noticed the way he held the door half open, he was definitely hiding something. "Don't worry. I'm getting used to it." That atleast wasn't a lie. Just because I was getting used to his lateness, didn't mean I had to like it.

My eyes flickered to his kechief and he plucked the heather out of it almost defensively. "Oh, uh, Gwen. She gave it to me." I didn't have time for his nonsense, so I ignored it. "Tell Gaius my father wants to see him now!" "Okay." he breathed. I could sense him watching me as I left.

I crept back toward the door arriving just in time to hear Gaius tell Merlin "You're a servant." Merlin growled back "If he knew who I was, what I've done," "You'd be a dead servant." That cleared everything up then. Gaius had confirmed my suspicions that Merlin was a sorcerer and that Gaius had probably known all along. Great, I thought, this day keeps getting better and better. That had been all I needed to hear, so I ran back to the throne room and informed my father that Gaius would be there soon.

Merlin and Gaius got there not long after I did. The first thing Gaius did was kneel by the dead man. "What's happened to him?" "I don't know sire. That's the second case I've seen today." I realized that Merlin must have been hiding a body in Gaius's chambers. "Why didn't you report it to me?" "I was attempting to find the cause." Gaius stood, and Merlin still stared curiously at the body. "And what did you conclude?"

"I don't think it's time to hurry to conclusions. The scientific process is a long one." I wanted to yell at them. How could they be so calm when people were dying? "What are you concealing from me?" "Sire, I have seen nothing like it. The victims are dying in 24 hours and it's spreading fast." I was beginning to agree with Merlin. Perhaps it was a plague of some sort. Merlin was staring at my father and I now. I wondered what he was thinking. "But what is the cause?" "I think you should say the cause. The most likely cause is sorcery."

I know that my eyes got wider and my pulse started to race. My father would not take this well. I shifted my head to look at him and he looked wounded. When he turned to me, I looked down. He pulled me aside. "You must find who did this." "I will, father." "Conduct door-to-door searched, increase your presence in the town." I was keeping my ears on him, but my eyes on Merlin as he and Gaius took the mans body away. "Double the guards on all the gates. And lend the physician your servant."

I balked at that. "Merlin? But…" I almost spilled my new found revelation about Merlin. Thankfully my father was preoccupied and thought I was just being a spoiled prince. "We need Gaius to find a cure. He needs all the help we can give him. If Gaius is right, believe me, the city will be wiped out." I had never seen my father look so worn down as he did in that moment. Then he was my father again, hard as nails and more frightening than death. "This is the kind of Magic that undermines our authority, challenges all we've done. If we cannot control this plague, people will turn to magic for a cure."

I wanted to ask him if that would really be all bad. But I wanted to keep myself out of the stocks. "We have to find this sorcerer and quickly." He muttered as he stalked out, but I threw a properly subdued "Yes, father." to let him know that I understood how dangerous this was.

I took a group of men and started searching for anything that might have caused the sickness in the town surrounding Camelot. I spent the day kicking in doors and shuffling through useless herbs and peasant crockery. I didn't even know what I was looking for, but I was sure that I'd know it once I did. Once I finished with the town I returned to the castle and began working my way through the servant chambers. The first place I visited was Gauis's workroom.

My men and I burst through the door, I directed one of them to the left corner of the room and informed Gauis of my directives apologetically. "Sorry Gauis. We're searching every room in town." "What for?" he cried out. "The sorcerer." I muttered. "Why would he be here?" he persisted, speaking quickly. "I'm just doing my job." "We have nothing to hide, go on then. Search." I almost asked him if he was alright. He seemed a bit off balance. Thankfully I had ordered all of the men to be extra careful with his belongings. I did not need my father asking why Gauis couldn't find a cure because we had broken something.

I noticed a stack of scraggly tomes that looked well read. "What are these books and papers?" I queried as I dug through them. "My life's work; dedicated to the understanding of science. You are quite welcome to read through them if you wish." Oh no thank you Gauis. I've no desire to read these, not my style. But you were worried about something in here, so it must be…ah ha! "What's this room up here?"

"It's mine." Merlin answered. I was glad they couldn't see my pensive expression. "And what do you expect to find in there?" Gauis taunted, I turned and repeated my father's orders "I'm looking for material or evidence suggesting the use of enchantments." I opened the door and there was a book lying on the floor. It looked old, but then again all of Gauis's books were old. I immediately dismissed the possibility that Merlin was stupid enough to leave something like that lying around; but I had to be sure.

"Merlin. Come here and look what I've found." He jogged into his room and I drawled out "I've found a place where you can put things. It's called a cupboard." He smiled gratefully as I moved to check the rest of his room. There wasn't much to go through, and starting at the window gave Merlin a chance to hide the book. I believed that if he hid the book it was important, if not it was something he'd borrowed from Gauis and forgot to put back. So when I knelt under the bed and didn't see the book anymore, I almost called him out. But he saved my life, twice and I didn't think he was the one making everyone sick, so I didn't mention it.

"How long do you think it may be before you find a cure?" I was trying to be civil, but it was hard when I had burning questions for Merlin. "It depends on how many interruptions I get." "Of course. I'm sorry. We're finished here." I declared and we filed out.

At the end of the day I reported to my father in his throne room. I had planned on being as honest as I could, to avoid out right lying to him that I had seen the odd book in Merlin's room. "We've searched everywhere, the entire city." "Nothing?" he breathed, I could see the worry on his face. I sighed and shook my head "I don't know where else to look." That was true; I had no idea where to go next. "I want you to impose a curfew. No one is to be allowed out into the streets after the great bell." I nodded dutifully, "Father." "And cordon off the lower town." I began to nod and then paused "why?" "Because that's where most of the victims are. We have to isolate it and stop this disease from spreading." He saw the unease on my face, and I couldn't keep from questioning his orders "What about the people who live there?" He watched me sadly "Don't you think I haven't considered it? What else can I do? I have to protect the rest of the city." He looked ready to cry, I couldn't stand seeing him full of such despair. I bowed before we got into a fight and stalked out of the room.

I was wandering purposefully through town, looking for any information we might have missed when I round a corner and saw Gwen's father in his forge. I charged towards him "The story is you were sick." "Not anymore." He replied, he sure didn't look like he'd had the plague. "Perhaps you were suffering from some other ailment?" "You must be joking. I felt like death himself. There was not enough strength in me to stir the air." "Then what happened?" I nearly snapped at him. "Oh. I dunno. Suddenly it was gone. I'm fitter than I was before." I could see it in his eyes, he was confused as I was. He obviously had tried not to think about the experience. "That's remarkable. Was anybody with you when all this happened?" Please say no, I thought. Please let the answer be no, lie to me dammit; just don't say it… "Just my daughter Gwen."

We went straight back to his cottage and I watched them search. I was torn between what I had to do and what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell them all to get out, that I'd deal with the search myself, but that would be suspicious. I was just about to call out when George found it, nestled under a pillow was a glowing poultice. If that wasn't magic…what was? I couldn't believe that Gwen was a sorceress. First Merlin and now her…something had to be going on here. But until Gauis figured out what was causing the plague there was nothing I could do.

We found Gwen in Morgana's chambers. When we burst in she didn't run, didn't cast spells at us, she didn't even throw the flowers she was holding at us. Surely if she were a sorceress she would have done something. But I could take no chances, she hadn't saved my life like Merlin had. "Seize her." "No." she said quietly and as the pair moved to grab her, I turned away. There was little proof of her alleged crime and in my guilt I couldn't face her. "Guinevere, I am arresting you for crimes and contraventions to the laws of Camelot. You have practiced enchantments." As I accused her Morgana stalked out of her dressing room "Gwen!" My men were pulling Gwen out of the room and forcibly escorting her to my father. "Morgana. But what have I done? I haven't done anything! Help me, please!" Once they were gone Morgana turned on me "What are you doing?" "I found a magic poultice in her house" I said flatly. "Oh. That's ridiculous." She spat back at me, I paused and locked eyes with her "How else do you explain her father's recovery?" "Well she's innocent. You know she's innocent." I couldn't tell Morgana my thoughts on the matter because she'd take them to father. He would no doubt in his infinite wisdom kill Gwen for enchanting me. So I settled for asking Morgana the question that had been on my mind since we'd found the poultice "What can I do? I can't turn a blind eye."

To be continued in part 2.


End file.
